Opposition mounts to Obama’s short stay in Ireland

There is renewed pressure on Barack Obama to stay longer than five hours in Ireland after polls of Irish Americans and Irish both found they would be insulted by a drop-in stay.

Some 58 per cent of those polled in Ireland by journal.ie said it would be insulting for Ireland if Obama only stayed a short time, while 72 per cent of Irish Americans stated the same in an Irish Central poll.

The Irish Times revealed on Thursday that part of the problem was the unprecedented number of countries that Obama would visit on the European trip including Ireland, Britain, France, and Poland in a few short days.

That has put an incredible strain on his security details who are anxious that he spends as little time as possible in Ireland as a result.

The time honored tradition of an American president drinking a pint of Guinness is also under scrutiny according to the Times who report that “ There is also concern at the possibility of the president being filmed and photographed “with a pint in his hand”, given the seriousness of the international situation, as in Libya.”

Sources say a major effort is underway to have Obama fly in on the 22nd and overnight in Dublin before going on to Britain the next day.